A Most Precious Wish Granted
by Striker-0
Summary: Third Impact has ended, now Shinji must deal with the aftermath. Along the way he thinks about a certain someone and if he'll ever see her again. 2-shot.


My first time at an Evangelion fanfic, but I've thought about it for a good while. I'm thinking of keeping this at least a two-shot, but more importantly it's a warm-up for my real story. My follow-up might be able to tie in with this one so I'll see how it goes.

Disclaimer: All characters and franchise belong to Hideako Anno and there's no point in thinking about suing since I don't have any money.

A Most Precious Wish Granted

Why? Why did this have to happen? What was the purpose in going through all of those trials just to get this as the end result? A barren wasteland devoid of life, save myself and the few that have returned from the horror that came to be known as Third Impact. And when I say returned, I mean that those that came back not days, but maybe months or years after I woke up.

It's already been four years since I had to experience the destruction of the human race at the hands of, not the so-called enemy Angels, but our own species. All because a small group of people felt that the human race had reached its peak of development and decided to "evangelize" it. Why? Why was I the one who had to bear the responsibility of deciding mankind's future instead of someone else, someone more fitted for the job? Then again, it's all said and done now. I can't rewind time and change what happened…but…would I really want to? Human Instrumentality has been stopped and there are no more Angels to worry about. It's hard to believe that after fighting those massive monsters we can finally live in peace, or, at least, what little peace we have after that horrific event.

More people are returning lately, though; I think it has something to do with people coming to grips with their own desires to come back to the real world. But why did I choose to come back anyway…Oh, now I remember…It was to see all of those that I held close to me again. But even still not all have returned yet, and there's no guarantee that all of them will come back. Misato still hasn't returned, even though she would normally be one of the first people to desire to return. I still have hope that she will return someday and Kaji with her. That still doesn't take away the pain of her not being here right next to me, teasing me to the point of turning red as a tomato. In a way, she was more like a big sister than a mother-figure, though she did her best to fulfill the role in my book.

Asuka, on the other hand, came back a short time after I awoke on the beach when I rejected third impact. I don't know what was going on through her head at the moment, but when she didn't stir for a long time, I thought that it was just an imitation of her; just something someone put there as a last laugh in my face. After that, I found myself already on top of her and my hands choking her with whatever force was guiding me at that moment. All that was going through my head was "I went through all this shit and now you're trying to pull jokes on me with this lifeless look-alike? Hell, no," and I would have finished the job if she hadn't moved her hand to my cheek. At that moment, it was like I finally returned to my body and let go of her neck in time for her to confirm her existence, "I feel sick." Naturally, she did the deed a few seconds afterwards and I would rather not be talking about this right now.

Ever since then, she and I had combed all of Tokyo-3 looking for any food, water, or other survivors; no such luck on the last part. We only had light conversations for the first few weeks, but we gradually opened up as time went along. I looked to her as an anchor to reality sometimes and kept my mind from wandering to one of the main topics that plagued my mind from the first few hours after I awoke.

At the center of my mind, I always had this lingering question that always caused me to go into brief spasms whenever I thought about it. It actually scared me a little as I thought about all of the possible answers to it, which is why I kept my mind on other things; it kept me from losing my mind and breaking down in front of Asuka. Even still, it plagued me in my dreams as I imagined the blue-haired girl that had a major impact on my life as she spoke her last words to me before I lost sight of her and woke up on the shore: "Is Ayanami going to come back as well?"

Rei Ayanami was an enigma to me at first; the first person that I thought I could relate to in terms of social standings. I was never able to open up to anyone, so when I found out that there was someone who was just as anti-social as me and was also the pilot of a giant machine, I felt like I should get to know her. Things didn't go so well after I found out that she had the kind of relationship with my father that I had desired ever since I was abandoned. I felt conflicted. The one person that I wanted to understand was in a comfortable relationship with the person I had come to hate. Despite that, I tried my best to communicate with her and get to know her. The only things I gained from those first interactions were a quick feel and a slap in the face, but after we worked together we started to understand each other more.

I was able to notice things about her that I wouldn't have been able to see when I first met her. It was not that she was emotionless, but that she had not been allowed to experience anything in the outside world other than the necessities. It was because of that that I felt the need to be close to her, so that I could show her that there was more to life than just doing what was only necessary. I wanted to see the same smile that she gave me when I pulled her out of the entry plug; that was one of the goals that I had. Yet I didn't get the chance to accomplish that goal since the Angles appeared one after another, and, with each appearance, something drastic changed. The most traumatic to me was when Rei sacrificed herself to stop the sixteenth Angel; the one moment where I cried without shedding a single tear. After that I was exposed to the secret of Rei's creation, as well as the fact that the Rei that I knew was probably a lost memory. However, there was still a small part of me that felt that the Rei that I saw after Unit 00's destruction was still the same girl that I had grown to have affection for.

It wasn't until Third Impact had already begun that I saw her again when I felt myself becoming one with the world that I thought I had wanted. It was true. When I first began to merge with Instrumentality I wanted to live in a world where there was no pain, but when I saw her again I began to come back to reality. The world that I wished for was only an escape from the pain that I had experienced up till that moment, and I saw that what I really wanted was to see everyone again and experience the feelings that I had when I was with them. It was at that moment that I chose to go against merging the LCL of everyone together, even if it caused me pain again. My last memories were of my conversations with Ayanami and my mother. To this day I keep wondering if she'll ever come back or if that was my last moment I could share with her.

************

Tokyo-3 5th Year After Third Impact

"Baka Shinji, where is breakfast?!" Asuka was her usual moody self in the morning, demanding breakfast before I could even get dressed.

"Hai Hai, I'll get to it. Just give me a minute okay." Why did I suggest moving back into the same apartment we lived in with Misato? All it did was cause Asuka to get comfortable with enslaving me to her command again. But on the bright side it helped just in case Misato returned and tried to get a hold of us. After all, if she got lost she could always try where she her apartment for a lead.

"A minute? You've got less than twenty seconds to get in here and fry up some bacon or something," Man she was grouchy when she was hungry, but then again she did give me twenty seconds this time. Before she would give me only five seconds, and when I came out of the room to hurry to the stove she would slap me for "not being decent." Hey, how was I supposed to stop my male bodily functions in the morning? Nevertheless, she still didn't let up until I informed her that if I was in critical condition she'd be forced to cook her own meals.

After making breakfast, we both sat down and turned on the television; luckily there were enough news crews that returned to life to give us news coverage. Lately, they had been focusing on finding lost people that had reformed and trying to help them get any leads on their families. This was what I had been looking forward to every day since I saw the channel.

"Baka, you should really loosen up a bit or else you're going to have a heart attack before you get the chance to see her again." Asuka was passively looking at the news as she commented on that.

"What?"

"You heard me, Baka. I know you're looking for Wondergirl. Ever since this show caught your eye, you've done nothing but go through life waiting until the next day to watch it again." I caught her gaze and found her staring at me with a look of irritation.

"How did you know?"

"Please, it's written all over that perverted face of yours." Even after all that we've been through she still calls me a pervert.

"But how did you know it was Ayanami that I was looking for?"

"I'll admit at first I thought you had been watching for Misato, but after seeing you staring intently at any person who had even the slightest bit of blue hair I figured it out." Wow, does this mean that she's been watching me while I was so focused on the television.

"Well, it's just…I really want her to come back. She was the only one out of all of us that didn't have anyone that she could call a relative or friend. I just want to help her when she does come back." After this she smirked and shook her head.

"You really are a baka aren't you? I think out of all of us, it was you who she would most likely come back to." At this my face reddened.

"Eh…what's that supposed to mean?" Her eyes narrowed in irritation again as if saying "Isn't it obvious?"

"I'm saying that if she did come back, then it would be because she wanted to see you most of all. I mean, I saw things change in her every time something concerning you came up. Every time I badmouthed you when you weren't around she'd stick up for you or look at me like I had stepped on her favorite book or something. Then she sacrificed herself for you." After she said that, I cast my eyes down wishing not to relive that memory again. We stayed like that in awkward silence until I hear the news reporter interviewing another lost individual.

"I have with me one of the few individuals that have appeared today, could you please say your name so that someone you might know can hear you." I still had my eyes to the floor when I heard a soft voice that only a select few could recognize.

"I…Ikari-kun, if you can hear me, I want to see you. I'll be waiting for you at the spot where you first saw me. I know you remember." That was all I heard before my legs took off to the door and out to find her. I think Asuka said something but I was already gone before she could finish.

Ayanami…she's back…she's alive again. What did she mean the spot where I first saw her? The first time I saw her was when they brought her in the stretcher at Unit 01's cage, but the Geofront is gone now. "Wait…I do remember something." I closed my eyes and remember the first day I came to Tokyo-3 right before I saw the Angel. It was off in the distance, but I'm sure I saw Rei there. "Yes, that's it." At that moment, I ran towards the spot that I hoped was still intact. After a few minutes of searching, I almost gave up until I saw a familiar payphone. As I got closer to inspect it I had a brief memory flash as I remembered seeing a girl with blue hair in the distance before she disappeared. At that moment I felt a presence in front of me and looked up to see the girl I had spent the last four years searching for.

"Ayanami…" It was all I could say at the moment. I was in awe that she was standing before me in the flesh and not disappearing like the image that I saw years ago.

"Ikari-kun…" She stared at me and I could see a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Aya…Rei…I can't believe you're here, alive…I'm so glad." It was the first time in a while that I had felt tears of joy come to me again.

"Ika…Shinji…I did not expect you to find me so soon." I guess it must have been a surprise to see me only minutes after she made that announcement on the news.

"I saw you on the news and came as soon as I could. I've been waiting a long time and hoping I could see you again." I moved closer with each word that I spoke, but I could tell that she was slowly progressing towards me as well. The gap between us shrunk with each moment.

"I wanted to tell you something…only to you…Shinji-kun." By this time we were already face to face with each other as I fought back the urge to hug her waiting for her reply.

"To say what?" At that moment she reached out her hand and took mine. I was going to ask what was wrong when she didn't answer for a while, but she broke the silence a few moments later.

"I'm here." I don't know what came over me, but at that moment I brought my arms around her and hugged her as tight as I could. Just with those words I was weeping like a man that had found water in a desert. 'I'm here' told me everything. She was real, this was reality and she came back because she wanted to tell me that her existence was real. She came back to me.

"Yes, you're here, Rei. And I'm glad that you're here again." I began to loosen up as I felt her shiver slightly after a while and looked to see what was wrong. In all my years with her, I never thought that I would see the day that Rei Ayanami was crying tears, tears of joy. Her smile alone as she cried proved that she was overcome with emotion, and for someone like Rei it was something that I was sure had made her happy.

After a few minutes, I walked with her back to the apartment, neither of us saying a word. We were content with the just being around each other at the moment. As we neared the room, I heard loud noises echoing through the door and I was beginning to wonder if Asuka had destroyed the place after I left without saying a word. I looked at Rei, who nodded, and slowly turned the handle. What I was met with was a conversation between two familiar voices.

"And then that baka just jumps up and jets out of here like a missile. Can you believe that?!"

"Asuka, calm down. I'm sure he'll be back any minute now. He's probably meeting with…" The talking stopped as I met eyes with my purple-haired guardian facing me with an equally stunned expression. The next thing I know I'm being bear-hugged by Misato as she starts balling over me like I'm her long lost Pen-Pen.

"Mi…Misato-san…can't…breathe." I tapped lightly on her soldier signaling my dilemma, causing her to regain her composure.

"Oh, Shinji-kun, I'm sorry. I can't believe you're here. I thought I'd never see any of you again."

"Misato-san, when did you get here?" I turned to see Asuka staring daggers at me.

"Well, right after you took off to meet Wondergirl, I caught sight of Misato in the background just passing by like she was looking for something. After that I locked up and went out to get her."

"Asuka found me pretty easily considering how damaged everything is around here. I'm just glad that you're all okay. Speaking of Rei, where is she?" After Misato's remark I looked behind me to see that Rei was still outside the doorway as if she was waiting to be let in.

"Rei…" I turned back to face her as she turned her eyes on me. "Won't you come in."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course, this is your home now." It was then that I was brought back to another memory, one where I first arrived at Misato's apartment. I realized that this time it was I who had created a place for her to return to.

"I'm…I'm home." Taking her hand in mine I led her to where we were.

"Welcome home, Rei."


End file.
